Beterbiev vs. Bivol: fight time, undercard, current odds, prediction and ring walks tonight

Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol finally meet in one of the biggest fights boxing has to offer, with the honor of becoming the undisputed light heavyweight champion.

This has been a real blockbuster showdown for some time, originally scheduled to take place back in June as a headliner after the first 5v5 Matchroom vs. Queensberry card in Saudi Arabia, before being postponed after Beterbiev suffered a torn meniscus in his knee during training and required surgery.

The postponement of what is arguably the sport’s most anticipated fight today has only added to the enormous hype, as Russia’s respective world champions and former amateur teammates – both of whom feature prominently on any current pound-for-pound list – appeared as part of the Riyadh season finally sees it head-to-head, with a stacked undercard to whet the appetite even more.

The 33-year-old Bivol is a highly experienced and phenomenally talented technician who is undefeated in 23 professional fights with 12 knockouts, has held the WBA title in the 175-pound division since 2017 and has 11 successful defenses.

His dominance over the great Saul “Canelo” Alvarez in Las Vegas in 2022 remains his standout performance, with a rematch never materializing as Bivol instead outclassed both Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez and Britain’s Lyndon Arthur before losing in June Still fighting for this Saudi bill and courageous late replacement opponent Malik Zinad quit in the sixth round.

Now Bivol faces his toughest test against the 39-year-old Beterbiev, one of boxing’s most destructive punchers who is also undefeated in 20 career contests, has won every single one by stoppage and has never won the distance.

Beterbiev, who has fought outside of Canada for the past 15 years, has also been the light heavyweight world champion since 2017. He initially claimed the IBF belt before adding the WBC version in 2019 and then the WBO belt by flattening Joe Smith Jr. in two rounds in New York two years ago.

Epic showdown: Artur Beterbiev and Dmitry Bivol fight for the title of undisputed light heavyweight champion

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He has knocked out British fighters in successive fights, having an epic battle with Anthony Yarde at Wembley Arena last January before dismantling Callum Smith in seven rounds in a one-sided fight in Quebec City earlier this year that was delayed by five months , after Beterbiev required further surgery for a bone infection in his jaw.

Date and venue of the fight between Beterbiev and Bivol

Beterbiev vs. Bivol takes place tonight, Saturday, October 12, 2024, at the Kingdom Arena in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.

Fight time and ring walks between Beterbiev and Bivol

Ring walks for the main event are expected around 11pm BST, so 6pm ET in the United States and 3pm PT.

The main event is scheduled to begin at 7pm BST, 2pm ET and 11am PT. The first fights take place at 5:00 p.m. BST, 12:00 p.m. ET and 9:00 a.m. PT.

How to watch Beterbiev vs Bivol

TV channels and live stream: In the UK, Beterbiev vs Bivol will be broadcast live on DAZN pay-per-view priced at £19.99, including a free seven-day trial.

The event can also be purchased on TNT Sports Box Office for £19.99 or Sky Sports Box Office for £19.95.

Live blog: Detailed coverage of the entire event on Saturday can also be found at Standard sports Live Fight Night Blog.

Beterbiev vs. Bivol undercard

There are some big fights in Riyadh on Saturday, not least Fabio Wardley, who is again defending his British, European and Commonwealth heavyweight titles against Frazer Clarke following his incredible draw at the O2 Arena in March.

European and Commonwealth cruiserweight champion Jack “One Smack” Massey faces a big test as he challenges the impressive Jai Opetaia for his IBF world title, while Chris Eubank Jr faces Poland’s Kamil Szeremeta for the first time in 13 months starts.

Skye Nicolson defends her WBC featherweight belt against mandatory challenger Raven Chapman, while Ben Whittaker takes the next step in his professional journey with his toughest outing yet against Liam Cameron and Saudi fighter Mohammed Alakel makes his professional debut against Colombia’s Jesus Gonzalez.

Artur Beterbiev vs. Dmitry Bivol

Jai Opetaia vs Jack Massey

Fabio Wardley vs Frazer Clarke

Chris Eubank Jr vs Kamil Szeremeta

Skye Nicolson vs. Raven Chapman

Ben Whittaker vs Liam Cameron

Mohammed Alakel vs. Jesus Gonzalez

Marco Maric vs Christian Flores

Beterbiev vs Bivol prediction

This fight is so hard to predict as the technical brilliance of Bivol meets the incredible knockout power of Beterbiev.

Bivol is an absolute master of his craft, but at times he can leave you wanting more, as he dominates fights but usually doesn’t try too hard to score a KO. The fearless but ultimately overpowering Zinad’s stop in June was his first since early 2018.

He will certainly not have this luxury against the wild and relentless Beterbiev, who will try to make his power felt from the start and prevent his opponent from developing into his usual rhythm.

It’s a truly intriguing duel that one believes will be to Bivol’s advantage if it lasts the full 12 rounds, although it’s also not hard to see a stoppage if Beterbiev manages to do so with one of these to hit huge power shots.

Bivol wins by decision.

Weighing results of Beterbiev vs. Bivol

At Friday’s weigh-in, Beterbiev weighed in at 174.9 pounds, while Bivol weighed in at 174.1 pounds.

Dmitry Bivol secured his 11th successful defense of his WBA light heavyweight title against Malik Zinad in June

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Beterbiev wins on points or decision: 13/2

Beterbiev wins by knockout, technical knockout or disqualification: 6/4

Bivol wins on points or by decision: 11/10

Bivol wins by knockout, technical knockout or disqualification: 13/2

Odds via Betfair (subject to change).

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